Bubble sorting (Lessons learned from surprising places 1)

Sometimes we can apply lessons learned in one place in completely different circumstances - for me, "bubble sorting" is one example.

It was ages ago, when I was learning the programming language Turbo Pascal (which is no longer in use, that's how ancient I am!) "Bubble sorting" is a way to sort data in a certain order by comparing them in pairs until all data has been compared and arranged into a list. The method is very simple - only two items are compared at one time - but since computers are so fast, the program will repeat the algorithm and run through the data very quickly.

When I have several options to choose from and I can't make up my mind, I try this method! I pick two of the options - any two - and compare them: should I buy this or do that? One option will almost automatically "weigh" heavier than the other.

If I'm still not sure I pick up another "item" to compare the first "winner" with. I'm not as fast as a computer, but on the other hand, I usually don't have to compare very many options. So it speeds up my decisionmaking! I know it sounds silly, but try it - it can help in surprising circumstances!

/Kris C.